Tone library / Nirvana / Heart-Shaped Box

Heart-Shaped Box amp settings — Blackstar ID:260 TVP

The Nirvana guitar tone for “Heart-Shaped Box”, dialed in for a Blackstar ID:260 TVP with a Squier Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster. Studio version, In Utero (1993)

Original rig

Fender Twin Reverb (clean), Fender Jaguar with DiMarzio humbuckers, Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion, EHX Small Clone/Poly Chorus

Gritty, mid-forward grind on chorus/solo with watery chorus modulation; clean arpeggios on verses

Amp settings — Blackstar ID:260 TVP

CHANNELClean (ISF set fully counter-clockwise for American voicing)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	3
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a Blackstar ID:260 TVP? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss DS-1 Distortion

OFF for clean verse arpeggios; ENGAGE for chorus/solo sections. Kurt ran distortion maxed with tone just below noon.

Tone 4 · Level 10 · Dist 10

Why these settings

Your Blackstar's ISF must be fully CCW (American) to approximate the Fender Twin's scooped, clean headroom. Your Squier's single coils are brighter and lower output than Kurt's humbucker Jaguar, so I raised mids +1 and kept treble moderate to avoid ice-pick highs. The DS-1 is the gain source—amp stays clean. Kurt used a DS-2 Turbo mode for the solo boost; your DS-1 lacks this, so dig in harder and consider rolling volume up slightly during the solo.

PRO TIPFor the verse clean tone, roll your guitar volume knob down to 6-7 and play the arpeggios with your fingers (not pick) near the neck—this recreates the soft, pillowy attack Kurt used before the chorus explodes.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Blackstar ID:260 TVP. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.